Sunday, February 24, 2013

There is no such thing as a simple cup of tea!

One of the first questions we hand-made-people get from folks at shows is...."how long does it take to make a mug?"...

Well, now my answer is 29 years. This is how long I have been doing pottery. There is no speeding up and no shortcuts in making craft or art. I thought you might be interested to know a little about the steps in making a teapot, which is significantly more complicated than you might think.

You need to make a body, a spout, a lid and a handle. Within that there are many variations on how complicated you want to get. Here are a few photos of some of my most recent teapots in process from start to finish.

Each element of the teapot is made separately, dried and trimmed.

Spouts are a personal thing: length, angles, how to cut them...

The handle needs to be in line with the spout to pour properly, be aesthetically pleasing, and strong enough to support the weight of a full teapot.

Lids need to be not too big and not too small, but in good proportion to the body (this one is not).

Then you bisque fire, glaze, and fire again! If it doesn't crack, warp, twist or have a glaze run, you may have a sale-able teapot!